Lifting the Weight
by secretindulgence24
Summary: Set between 3x11 and 3x12. A one shot exploring what might happen if Damon's tired of pretending Elena isn't right for him right now. Flirtation and heightened emotions and much more ensues... :- Read and Review!


**Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything on here. But this piece had interesting origins (randomized prompt) and came out in the course of a few hours. So I thought I would post it. **

**It's just a snapshot piece, set between 3x11 and 3x12. Damon and Elena have kissed and he's told her "its right, just not right now." Other than that, there's very little back story required.  
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**Thanks to my wonderful beta - Hannah Taylor1. She's new to Vampire Diaries but has great insight to Delena and wonderful writing skills to offer. Please make sure to check out her profile after you read and review here! :-)  
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**Disclaimer: I own nothing  
**

XOXO

Elena tilted her head, sweeping her hair over one shoulder and tying it in a loose ponytail. Stretching her left arm up and over her head, she pulled on her elbow, lengthening the muscles in her upper arm. She repeated it on the right side and rolled her neck.

Moving to her bedroom window, she glanced out of it as she placed her left foot on the window bench and stretched her quads, then switched legs. Triple checking the lock on the window, she drew the curtain closed and turned around, straightening the strap of her sports bra.

"Mmm… loving the show."

Damon's deep drawl startled her and she jerked her head up, her eyes instinctively narrowing. "Damon! Don't… sneak up on me like that. What are you even doing here? It's late…"

"I'm sure I had a reason for coming," He pushed away from the door and sauntered in, pausing beside her to look her over before moving to flop down on her bed, "But I no longer have _any_ idea what it was. Probably ought to stretch those legs again… and again…"

Blushing, Elena looked down at her lime green sports bra, black biker shorts, and plenty of exposed, tanned skin. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sent him a glare. "I was planning on getting in a workout before bed. A workout alone…"

"Oh, go ahead." He smirked at her, "You work out alone, I'll lie here and watch. It's not like muscle building does anything for me anyway. Every inch of this toned body is locked in forever…" He ran a hand over his chest, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Damon," She cocked an eyebrow and leaned against her dresser, "Do you need something?"

He gave her a light shrug, sitting up and grabbing her journal off her nightstand. "Mmm…just checking on you. Lots of baddies out and about, you know."

"I locked the window," She snatched her journal out of his hand and put it on her vanity. "And the front door was locked, too…. How did you get in?"

Another smirk. "Let's chalk it up to magic…"

"Damon, do you have a key to my house?"

Ignoring her, he stood up and crossed to her window seat, picking up the twenty pound weight she had sitting there. Running his finger over the blue rubber casing, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "Do you know what you're doing with these?"

"Uh…" She stared at him. "Well… I lift them…"

"Yes, but how…" He moved over to her, standing too close, as always. Reaching down, he took one of her hands and wrapped it around the weight, closing his hand over hers. While she stared, he slid his hand up her arm and moved behind her. "Lower your arm."

She complied, ever muscle in her body straining against the instinct to lean against his broad chest. Then he distracted her by moving his hand down her arm, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. His other hand secured her waist. "Damon, what…?"

"Lift out and to the side… like this." He raised her arm and she held it out. The position made her arm shake, though it could have been the way he was running his fingers along the underside of her arm, explaining something she hadn't been listening to.

"What?"

"Keep this straight," He murmured in her ear, "Hold it for a few seconds, then lower slowly and lift again. It's a great bicep workout."

"Oh," She swallowed hard and lowered her arm slowly, following his instructions as she brought it back up. "I usually just do curls on each side…"

"This will build strength faster." He shifted, moving to murmur in her other ear. Raising his hand from her waist, he trailed his finger along her upper arm, "And it will give you _gorgeous_ definition right here…"

"Oh." She repeated herself, finding it suddenly difficult to form words.

"Twelve-fifteen reps on each side every night should do the trick." Leaning in, he breathed in the scent of her hair and slid his hands up to her shoulders and squeezed lightly.

Then, without warning, he was no longer touching her, and she almost stumbled backwards. Apparently she had been leaning on him more than she thought. Righting herself, she narrowed her eyes at him as he moved to sit on her bed again.

"I can lift weights on my own, Damon." Weight still in hand, she crossed both arms over her chest.

"Of course you can." He leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows, pinning her with a clear blue stare. "The question is… why are you lifting weights? Are you planning on being able to hurl them at vampires? Or maybe training in case there's a twenty pound vampire you can lift and throw… you know…" He mimed picking up something small and flicking it across the room. "_Ping_… just like that."

Rolling her eyes, she chucked the weight at him. He caught it in mid-air, like she knew he would.

"Mmm… testy." He tossed the weight on the bed and patted the bedspread beside him. "Come here, I'll make it all better…"

Frustrated, she huffed out a sigh. "Does everything have to be a joke, Damon? All the time… really?" Turning she moved toward her vanity, yanking the band out of her hair and tossing it down.

He was at her side in a second, turning her to face him. Taking her chin in his hand, he tilted her face up, his eyes searching hers. "Hmm, testier than usual. What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" She pulled away from him, dropping her eyes. "I'm fine, Damon. I'm just tired… I think I just want to go to bed." As a half-apology, she gave him a small smile, touching his arm. "Thanks for checking in on me."

"Elena…"

"Goodnight, Damon." She squeezed his arm. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She started to move past him, but he took her arm, easing her back. When she looked up at him, every muscle in her body tightened, leaving her coiled and ready to spring.

Lifting his hand, he cupped her jaw and stroked her soft skin with the pad of his thumb. His other hand went to her hip, pulling her against him.

"Damon…"

"I'm sorry," He leaned in, hovering over her. "I know I said I wouldn't, but I going to unless you stop me…"

Before she could protest – if she was even going to – his mouth touched hers every bit as gently as it had that night on her porch. Instantly, she had the same internal reaction. Her stomach clenched and fluttered all at once and her palms sweat, prickling in anticipation.

"Damon…" She spoke his name, not knowing if she was reprimanding or encouraging him. But then he wrapped his arm around her waist, his warm hand splayed on her back. Leaning against him, she promised herself she would enjoy him only for a second. She was tired and sick of being scared. She needed someone to hold her every now and then and somehow he was so good at it.

Angling his head, he deepened the kiss, sending sparks through her body. She clung to him for a moment, taking guilty pleasure in the roughness of his tongue against hers, the feel of his arms enclosing her. Then she pulled back, biting her lip.

"Damon, I thought we were on the same page…"

"What page are you talking about, Elena?" He cupped the back of her neck in his hand, his other arm sliding around her waist. Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes. "Because when I kiss you, it feels like we're very much on the same page. It feels like we could burn up that page…"

She flushed, her fingers moving up to grip the dark, rich fabric of his shirt. "Is that why you came here tonight? To burn up the page…?"

"No. But sometimes…" He opened his eyes, vulnerability evident in their deep recesses, "I can't stand to keep pretending."

Her pulse thrummed and, involuntarily, she leaned into him. "Damon…"

"You know, you've kissed me back twice. A guy _could_ start to get ideas…" Taking advantage of her close proximity, he slid his arms around her once again and she felt the pressure in her chest ease as she surrendered to the embrace.

"I know." She whispered, "I don't know how to fix this."

"Who says it's broken?"

Looking up at him, she shook her head. "Damon…"

"You never answered my question, Elena." He cut her off, releasing her and stepping back. "What's wrong tonight? You're worried about something."

Feeling irrationally rebuffed, Elena wrapped her arms around herself. "Nothing new or specific. There's just never a break in the problems and the danger and the betrayal…"

He nodded. "I know. You feel like you don't have any control… like there's nothing good in your life that you can hold onto and hide away just for yourself…"

"Yeah," She tilted her head, studying the man in front of her. "That's exactly it. I feel so… lost sometimes."

Moving slowly, he approached her again, taking her hands in his, then sliding his fingers up her arms, finally gripping both of her shoulders. Gently, he pressed her back into the wall, trapping her between his arms. "So what's so wrong with taking back a little of that control?" He brought one hand to her face, caressing her cheek. "I want something just for us… a little happiness thrown in with all the crappy stuff we deal with. I don't want to keep feeling guilty for being in love with you because it's not something I can help, and I don't want to help it."

"Damon…" She closed her eyes, her chest tightening at his words.

"What's not right about that, Elena?" He leaned in and kissed her forehead, framing her face in both hands. "You tell me…"

Staring up at him, she shook her head. "I don't know."

The left corner of his mouth tilted upward in a half smile and his eyes dropped to her lips. "Me either."

As he leaned in, she shut off the part of her brain that told her this was too complicated, too much of a betrayal, too doomed from the start. Tilting her head, she tentatively met his kiss, surprised when he pulled away after the briefest of touches. His eyes flicked to hers, held for a long moment and he smiled, moving back in and softly kissing her again. The soft, short kisses continued as he pressed his lips to hers more times than she could count.

But she needed more. If they were going to do this, she wanted so much more.

Reaching out for his shirt, she dragged him closer, holding him to her and keeping his mouth on hers. She parted her lips, drawing his bottom lip between her teeth and nipping lightly, surprising herself with her own boldness. "Damon, please…"

The request was all he needed to unleash. Switching instantly from gentle to needy, he pressed her into the wall and it was all open-mouthed kisses and searching hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on, her senses on overload from the combination of his touch, his scent, his taste. Wanting to give him back as much as he was giving her, she slid her tongue into his mouth, angling her head so that she could kiss him more deeply. As her tongue moved over his, he gave a low growl of approval that resonated deep in her core.

He was pressing her hips into the wall with his own hips, leaving his hands free to roam her waist, her shoulders, her face. As his rough grip slid from her neck, down her arms, finally settling on her upper waist, she buried one hand in his hair and the other in the fabric of his shirt. Growing more bold with every touch of his mouth, she arched her hips against him, leaning her head back as his lips moved to latch onto the sensitive spot on her neck, just below her ear.

He feasted on the spot, making her weak-kneed. His arm, secure around her waist now kept her standing and pressed flush against him. Slowly, as though he had all the time in the world and nothing better to spend it on, he worked his way down her neck, paying special attention to the curve at her nape. His blunt teeth scraped that spot, sending shivers down her spine.

"Damon…" She gasped his name in his ear, dragging his mouth back to hers. "More. I need…"

"What do you need, Elena?" His voice, throaty with desire, rasped against her lips. "Anything…"

"You," Was all she knew to say as she clung to him. The feelings he was inspiring were brand new, sweeping her away while she held onto her only life raft.

His leather jacket kept her from feeling the muscles of his back beneath the fabric of his shirt and she pushed it off impatiently, creating a moment of chaos as he tried to hold onto her with both hands while she was peeling his jacket off his arms. Chuckling, he moved back enough to allow her to remove the offending clothing, then resumed his ministrations, sliding his hands down over her backside as he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

Moments passed and his touch gentled. She was limp in his arms, relying on him completely to hold her up. As he nibbled at her lower lip, he smiled, reaching down and picking her up. She wrapped her legs and arms around him gratefully and he moved his mouth down her neck, over her shoulder.

Turning, he carried her to her bed, pulling back the covers and laying her down on the soft sheets. Bending over her, he kissed her throat, her collarbone, her chest, and she buried her hand in his hair, urging him closer. Smiling, he kissed her once more, lingering over her lips.

As he pulled away, she shook her head. "Don't go…"

"I'm not going anywhere." He assured her, smoothing back her hair and kissing her again, just because he could.

She reluctantly relinquished him, watching as he undid his shirt and slid it off, then kicked off his shoes and ditched his pants. Rounding the bed, he pulled back the covers on that side and slid into the sheets.

His arm moved around her, gathering her to him, her back resting against his chest. He swept her hair aside, letting his mouth wander over the back of her neck and shoulder while his hand skimmed over her waist, down her leg.

She let him continue this slow, perfect torture as long as she could, then turned toward him, allowing him to reclaim her mouth and slowly devour her , pressing her into the bed until the moment became far too intense for a night of first kisses.

"Hold on," She gasped against his lips, causing him to immediately pause and draw back. Breath coming short, she met his eye, blushing as she looked into the face of the man who had just kissed her more thoroughly than any other. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I just…"

"Too fast." He gently filled in for her. "Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. Two and a half years of waiting _may _have been too long…"

She smiled, grateful for his easy way of breaking tension. "Just a little…"

"Mmm…" He leaned and kissed her again, much more softly this time. "So worth it, though."

Flustered, she curled against him, burying her face in his chest. "That was…" She bit off her words, closing her eyes.

"Mmhmm," He kissed her head, pulling her as close as he could, wrapping himself around her. "Even better. And…" He grinned into her hair, "You still got your work out in tonight. Your heart is racing…"

"Damon…" She playfully tapped her hand against his back, getting distracted as her fingers felt the well-defined ridges of his muscles. Her heart was starting to slow and return to normal and she sighed, letting her fingertips dance over his skin, growing more familiar with the new liberties they were taking with each other.

Moments of silence dragged on as they lay curled together, his lips still brushing against whatever skin he could find, and her fingers doing the same. Finally, as she felt herself begin to drift off under the gentleness of his ministrations, she asked a question.

"Damon... what happens now?"

There was evident fear and nervousness behind her voice, but he didn't seem to hold it against her. Gathering her close, he tightened his hold on her. "Sleep. And then maybe an interesting new way to wake you up…" Smiling, he tilted her chin up and kissed her lightly. "And then, who knows… we'll figure it out later."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," He kissed her one more time. "Go to sleep, Elena. There's nothing to worry about tonight."

XOXO

**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a note because I love to hear from my readers. As a *tiny* taunt... I've been writing, writing, writing all summer but not posting. I'm considering posting more of my summer Delena work if you guys think you would like to read it. Thanks!**


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